1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monitoring technique of electronic devices, and more particularly to, a system and method for detecting a work status of a computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer systems such as network servers, automated teller machines, have long been plagued by software malfunctions, unauthorized access, and destructive authorized usage, often preventing the computer systems from operating normally. The inability of a computer system to operate normally results in system downtime, lost revenue, and additional maintenance expenses. The duration of the downtime is directly related to the extent of the damage induced. Remote computer systems, for which maintenance and support personnel are not on-site, are the most affected by downtime. Traditionally, a system administrator is required to physically travel to the location of the remote computer system to diagnose the situation and implement a solution to restore normal operation of the computer system. In many cases, the simplest procedure to restore normal operation is to reboot the computer system, returning it to a system start up state. However, if the administrator is not available, it may be hours or even days before the administrator arrives to diagnose a computer system and manually restart the computer system.
Presently, remote monitor and reboot methods are popularly adopted to recover halted computer systems, using the following technique: a computer system regularly transmits recorded data about working status to a remote administrator (a server or a network manager) via a network; the remote administrator determines whether the computer system is in a normal operational status according to the data; and sends a reboot signal to the computer system via the network, if the remote administrator determines that the computer system is in an abnormal operational status. However, the remote monitor and reboot methods rely on expensive chipsets, such as baseboard management controller (BMC). Furthermore, the remote monitor and reboot methods relies on complex data transmission protocols and network security problems, thus a halted computer systems may still be in an abnormal operational status for a long time before being remotely rebooted.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for detecting a work status of a computer system, with low circuit design cost and high efficiency.